Donald Trump's Actions Present a Threat to Our Social Fabric.
The domestic and foreign policies – ranging from the attempted coup previously to recent incursions and statements – erode not only domestic and international jurisprudence. But that’s not all.
They endanger the core idea of what we mean by.
The moral purpose of a functioning society is to forestall the stronger from attacking and exploiting the vulnerable. Failing that, we would be trapped in a conflict of all against all where might makes right wins.
This ideal lies at the center of the nation's founding texts. It is equally the foundation of the postwar international order advocated by the United States, which stresses international cooperation, democratic governance, fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law.
However, it is a vulnerable ideal, often broken by those who choose to misuse their authority. Upholding it necessitates that the powerful have enough integrity to abstain from seeking short-term wins, and that the rest of us ensure they answer for their actions should they falter.
Unchecked strength does not make right. It results in uncertainty, chaos, and war.
Whenever entities that are advantaged prey upon those that are less so, the structure of society unravels. If these actions are allowed to continue, the fabric unravels. If not stopped, the world can fall into instability and violence. We have seen this pattern previously.
Today, we live in a international landscape marked by extreme inequality. Authority and resources are held by fewer hands than in modern history. This encourages the powerful to exploit the disadvantaged because they act with a sense of untouchable.
The wealth of a small group of billionaires is almost beyond comprehension. The reach of major corporations in technology, energy, and aerospace covers a vast portion of the world. Artificial intelligence is could centralize resources and influence even more. The destructive power of the leading countries is without parallel in human history.
Empowered by political allies and a pliant judicial body, the executive office has been made into the most dominant and unchecked agent of government in the modern era.
Consider this confluence and you see the threat.
An unbroken thread links previous transgressions to ongoing provocations. Both were premised on the hubris of invincibility.
One observes much the same in international affairs: in military conflicts, in expansive ambitions, and in the global depredation by massive conglomerates.
But, strength without restraint does not establish right. It makes for uncertainty, upheaval, and war.
Historical evidence demonstrates that rules and conventions to constrain the powerful also safeguard them. Absent these limits, their relentless pursuit for more power and wealth eventually bring them down – and with them their corporations, nations, or empires. And pave the way for global conflict.
Such lawlessness will haunt international stability – and the very idea of civilized conduct – for the foreseeable future.
